Sunday, June 17, 2012

An inverse Midas touch

In the original story, King Midas gained the power to change all that he touched into gold. The only problem was that he soon became surrounded by a desert of gold, and died of starvation. The ReMida Center in Trondheim has changed this story: Modern society is surrounded by a desert of refuse which a creative Midas touch could turn into art.

ReMida is based on Reggio Emilia pedagogy, a philosophy that children should not be passive learners, but instead be free to explore using their own creativity. Parents and teachers become co-learners on this quest.

The ReMida Center in Trondheim is a collaboration between the municipal renovation service, private industry, child care centers and educators. Instead of dumping outdated industrial parts, factories donate material to the center, where pre-schoolers and primary school pupils transform it into art work, musical instruments and installations.
A wonderful initiative!